The Lycan King and his Dark Temptation novel Chapter 72

VALERIA

I must admit that when I saw the ancient castle towers on the misty hill, I let out a sigh of relief.

I peeked through the carriage curtain at the powerful lycan riding beside me, admired everywhere we passed.

Many things had happened during this journey.

Discreetly, I touched the mark on my nape, hidden by the dress's collar.

His powerful canines were imprinted on my skin, claiming me as his, even if only temporarily.

Now, how was I supposed to behave around His Majesty?

So many thoughts crowded my mind—lies and fears.

I decided to act the same as always, like the maid with the privilege of sharing his bed whenever my inner butterfly craved a delicious mistreatment.

“What are you doing? Why are you going back to your room?”

He grabbed my hand, stopping me as I signaled the servant to take my small luggage to my quarters.

“Your Majesty, it’s only logical that…”

“The logical thing is for you to sleep in my bed. I’ll speak with Sasha so she knows things have changed and that you'll be in charge of giving her orders regarding the castle’s management…”

“Wait, wait, Your Majesty…”

“Say my name, Valeria,” he said, stepping closer, as usual trying to overwhelm me with his massive and sexy body.

I subtly glanced around.

We were right in the entrance hall, having this conversation while he did whatever the hell he wanted, as always.

“Sir… Aldric,” I corrected myself when his brow raised in irritation. “

For now, I’ll stay in my room and continue serving you as your maid. Another servant won’t be necessary.”

Truthfully, the thought of another woman touching his things made my blood boil with rage.

“Fine. I don't want any other maid invading our space, but you don't need to handle the hard tasks. You can order them to wash, iron, or do anything else you don’t want. I'll speak with Sasha—”

“No.” I instinctively raised my hands and covered his mouth.

His wolf-grey eyes watched me closely, questioning.

I didn’t want him to make a scene.

Everyone already looked at me strangely enough, and the servants fled like I was the plague.

Probably because of the aggressive scent of his mark.

“Aldric, let’s leave things as they are for now, okay? Maybe later you won’t like all these sudden changes and feel uncomfortable. Maybe you'll regret marking me… get bored of me… and I'll be left as the fool who acted like the lady of the castle.”

“Valeria, I already told you we need to talk. I know you're feeling insecure, but things won't change. You and I—”

“Valeria, is that you?!” Suddenly, I heard Dave’s cheerful voice from down the hallway, and Aldric growled low, irritated by the interruption.

Dave, the "maid," truly had a gift for being inconvenient.

I still don’t know how he’s survived in this castle for so long.

“Wow, what a smell… like a skunk in heat—! S-Sir!” He practically skidded to a stop when he saw Aldric, almost wetting his pants.

He suspected it was me, but he failed to recognize the real threat standing there—this lycan had his senses up his ass.

“What did you just say about my warning pheromones?”

His Majesty took a menacing step toward him, and Dave shook his head frantically as if his neck was spring-loaded, retreating several steps.

“No, no, no! I didn’t mean Valeria’s scent, sir! I meant the castle, yes… the castle…” He nervously wiped his fingers along the wall, clearly flustered.

“Girl, I knew you’d make it big!” she squealed, walking beside me down the hallway. “Remember us poor mortals when you become Queen!”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Juliette. His Majesty and I… well, it’s complicated,” I replied, a bit embarrassed.

Privacy in this damn world of beasts was impossible. Not even being a secret lover could stay secret.

“Complicated? What’s complicated will be the baby bump you’ll have in a few months! Tell me, tell me, is His Majesty really that good in bed like they say?”

“Juliette!”

“Hahaha! You should see your face all red! It must be true he’s a stallion! How many inches, huh? Spill the tea!”

She was being impossible, teasing me, but around her, I always felt relaxed.

“Valeria!” Dave’s voice echoed behind us, and I turned around immediately.

What the hell was that clumsy lycan up to now?

“Don’t worry. His Majesty is in a meeting with Quinn, Beof, and Erik,” he mentioned the other lycans, and I didn’t know why he thought I’d be worried. Honestly, he should be the worried one.

“Okay… I just wanted to ask because I heard you’re good at embroidery, and then I saw—hey! This is the same stitching I noticed before! Quinn was so selfish he didn’t tell me which maid did it!”

I tensed when he pulled the very shirt I had folded into Juliette's laundry basket, the one belonging to Guardian Quinn.

“Did you do this, or can you tell me which maid did? I had to fire the last one—she was stealing from me! At least I only kicked her out. If it were Aldric’s maid, she would’ve lost her head.”

“I… well… uh…” Shit. I froze for a moment, struggling for words.

I didn’t want to admit I had done it myself—this was already way too coincidental. I glanced nervously at Juliette, but she was looking down, strangely silent and blushing.

“I did it,” came a barely audible whisper.

If I hadn’t been standing right next to her, I wouldn’t have heard it.